The Farm Dam Restoration Project
Landcare Australia and the Coca-Cola Australia Foundation are proud to partner on the Farm Dam Restoration project, a three-year partnership to transform degraded farm dams across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
Many farm dams across Australia are in poor condition, frequently being polluted and devoid of native vegetation. However, a recent study by the Australian National University has shown that when carefully managed, enhanced farm dams can help conserve biodiversity by providing critical wetland habitats for native wildlife.
“Thanks to the generous support of the Coca-Cola Australia Foundation, we can continue to bring communities together to address critical habitat loss.” – Dr Shane Norrish, Landcare Australia CEO
Coca-Cola Australia Foundation has committed $600,000 to the project as part of their pledge to help address UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 ‘Clean Water and Sanitation’ by creating solutions for the availability and sustainable management of water in Australia.
Using the Landcare Australia model of bringing local communities together to address environmental and sustainable land management issues, the Farm Dam Restoration project will restore ecological activity and function to degraded dams through multiple activities including:
- Installing stock proof fencing
- Building hardened access points
- Planting native vegetation
Local landcarers will be involved in site preparation and revegetation of a diverse array of local native plants including sedges, grasses, shrubs and trees.
Phase One of the project will launch in South Australia with three sites being identified to provide an initial showcase of how degraded farm dams can be transformed into thriving ecological communities whilst also improving on-farm productivity.
South Australian farmer Jack Booth comes from a farming family with 35 years of experience in the agriculture industry. He will be joining Phase One of the Farm Dam Restoration project as part of his family’s work to improve sustainability and transform their property into a holistically managed grazing enterprise.
“Any Australian farmer will tell you that our success relies heavily on water security. We work in a variable environment, from drought to floods, we’ve seen it all, and we need to be taking all steps possible to ensure our land is productive and resilient.” – Jack Booth, Grazier
In addition to the on-ground work, the Farm Dam Restoration project will facilitate knowledge sharing across a broad cross-section of the farming community, encouraging sustainable and innovative farm dam enhancement.
Through the Farm Dam Restoration project, Landcare Australia and the Coca Cola Australia Foundation aim to inspire farmers across the country to reap the benefits of investing in the rehabilitation of their own farm dams, and are excited to bring you more updates on this inspiring project in future.
